Baseline Station to Barrhaven Town Centre)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Document 1 Barrhaven Light Rail Transit (Baseline Station to Barrhaven Town Centre) Planning and Environmental Assessment Study – Statement of Work Transportation Services Department Transportation Planning City of Ottawa SOW - ACS2018-TSD-PLN-0006 25 September 2018 BACKGROUND - DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL On 8 March 2017, City Council approved a motion (Motion No 47/3) which states: “WHEREAS Council’s next review and update of the Official Plan (OP), Transportation Master Plan (TMP) and Infrastructure Master Plan (IMP) will extend the City’s planning horizon beyond 2031; and WHEREAS the affordability model established within the current LRFP for Transit, which addresses priority projects for each phase of the 2013 TMP, will be updated as a matter of course in coordination with the next TMP update; and WHEREAS there is no light rail transit connection for Barrhaven planned within the affordable envelope to 2031; and WHEREAS the most recent census has demonstrated that Barrhaven is the fastest growing area of the city; and WHEREAS it is Official Plan policy to connect major residential areas with major employment, education and retail hubs and to ensure that the City’s investment in transit reflects the service needs of the community as a whole; and WHEREAS recent federal and provincial budgets have significantly increased the availability of transit infrastructure funding subsequent to the 2013 TMP analysis; and WHEREAS the TMP update will align with the next Official Plan review which will address growth patterns for employment and residential growth across the City, including Barrhaven; and WHEREAS the 2013 TMP already identifies the conversion of Southwest Transitway from bus rapid transit (BRT) to light rail transit (LRT) to connect Barrhaven to the Confederation Line as part of its Ultimate Network; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that staff be directed to fully assess the feasibility and relative priority of converting the Southwest Transitway from bus rapid transit (BRT) to light rail transit (LRT) to connect Barrhaven to the Confederation Line at the earliest opportunity, including options for implementation staging (such as interim BRT improvements) and the identification of other rapid transit supportive facilities to serve Barrhaven residents (such as park and ride lots), while respecting the affordability model 2 established within the Long-Range Financial Plan for Transit, and that this work inform the next Transportation Master Plan update and include a review of projects currently within the Affordable Rapid Transit and Transit Priority Network.” On 27 June 2018, City Council approved another motion (Motion No 72/8) which states: “WHEREAS, over the course of the 2018-2022 Term of Council, the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) will be refreshed as part of the broader upcoming Official Plan (OP) review; and WHEREAS, on March 8, 2017, City Council directed staff to fully assess the feasibility and relative priority of converting the Southwest Transitway from bus rapid transit (BRT) to light rail transit (LRT) to connect Barrhaven to the Confederation Line at the earliest opportunity, including options for implementation staging (such as interim BRT improvements) and the identification of other rapid transit supportive facilities to serve Barrhaven residents (such as park and ride lots), while respecting the affordability model established within the Long-Range Financial Plan for Transit, and that this work inform the next Transportation Master Plan update and include a review of projects currently within the Affordable Rapid Transit and Transit Priority Network”; and WHEREAS the completed Environmental Assessment studies for Blair to Trim, Bayview to Moodie, and Moodie to Kanata LRT, including an extension from the Canadian Tire Centre to Stittsville, have enabled the City to be ready to negotiate with the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada when additional transit infrastructure funding programs are announced; and WHEREAS the future conversion of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to Light Rail Transit (LRT) to Barrhaven (using the southwest transitway corridor) is the only major segment in the Ultimate TMP solely within Ottawa's geographic boundaries without a completed Environmental Assessment study; and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that City Council approve $600,000 be transferred to the 2018 Rapid Transit EA Studies account, $366,000 to be funded from Development Charges and $234,000 from the Transit Capital reserve; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that City Council approve that an Environmental Assessment Study for conversion of BRT to LRT to Barrhaven be undertaken immediately, such that interim results can be part of the upcoming 3 TMP review to be assessed for consideration with respect to the City's next phase of Transit investments, with the immediate work to be funded from the Transit Capital Reserve and Development Charges and should additional funding be required the remaining balance can be brought forward for consideration as part of the 2019 Draft Capital Budget process; and THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that City Council delegate the authority to the General Manager of Transportation Services to approve the Statement of Work for the Environmental Assessment, in consultation with the Chairs of the Planning and Transportation Committees in order to expedite the release of the Request for Proposals and to report back to Transportation Committee on the expected timeline for completion.” This Statement of Work (SoW) report outlines the scope, methodology, and deliverables of the EA study for conversion of the BRT corridor to a LRT facility between Baseline Station and Barrhaven Town Centre. The EA study will include options for implementation staging and identify other rapid transit supportive facilities. Details of the SoW are outlined in Appendix A. OVERVIEW The Barrhaven LRT EA project is approximately 10 km in length extending southerly from Baseline Station (Stage 2 LRT terminus) to Barrhaven Town Centre, where it will connect with the future Chapman Mills Drive BRT corridor. The EA study will focus on the rapid transit corridor that has previously been protected through the 1997 Southwest Transitway EA study (Baseline Station to Strandherd Drive) and 2006 Southwest Transitway Extension EA study (Strandherd Drive to Cambrian Road) completed for a BRT facility. It will also examine options for implementation staging (such as BRT improvements or interim LRT terminus locations), rapid transit supportive amenities, including a Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF), opportunities for new Park and Ride lot(s) and pedestrian and cycling facilities to support rapid transit and serve Barrhaven residents. STUDY APPROACH - COMBINE TWO CONCURRENT STUDIES The Barrhaven LRT EA study area partially overlaps with the ongoing Barrhaven Rail Grade-Separation (Woodroffe Ave, Southwest Transitway and Fallowfield Road) EA study which is examining a rail grade-separation solution for the Southwest Transitway, Woodroffe Ave and Fallowfield Road where these roadways cross the VIA Rail corridor. 4 Due to the overlapping study areas and design issues, EA process requirements, study durations and consultation activities, the two EA studies will be integrated and restructured into one study such that the Barrhaven LRT study assignment will be an amendment to the Barrhaven Rail Grade-Separation EA study. This approach was discussed with Supply Services and is permitted because the consultant for the Rail Grade-Separation was selected through the City’s competitive procurement process. Combining the two studies will bring efficiencies to the EA process, streamlines consultation and project management activities, resulting in cost savings to the City. The revised EA study will be titled as the Barrhaven LRT and Rail Grade-Separation EA study. The study corridor is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Barrhaven LRT and Rail Grade-Separation EA Study Corridor From an EA process perspective, the integrated study will be conducted under the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) Ontario Regulation 231/08 in accordance with the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. The transit process allows the City to also examine the road and VIA Rail crossing at Woodroffe Avenue due to its close proximity to the existing Southwest Transitway. This makes it possible for the City to investigate an integrated solution for both transit and roadway crossings thereby 5 economizing the implementation cost. It will also mitigate the concern of piece-mealing the impact assessment and study of projects within the same study area. Since both the LRT and roadway corridors pass through the National Capital Commission (NCC) Greenbelt area, the EA study will also need to comply with the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). Both Provincial and Federal EA processes will be coordinated to avoid duplication of effort. The key considerations of the integrated study will include: Coordination with the Stage 2 Confederation Line West LRT Extension project to integrate the Stage 2 LRT project and Baseline LRT Station with the future Barrhaven LRT facility; Coordination with Chapman Mills Drive BRT project; Integration of LRT stations with existing communities and planned land uses that will help promote transit-oriented development; Access or linkages to existing and planned facilities for active transportation; Undertaking of climate change adaptation and mitigation assessment and greenhouse gas emission analysis; Development of a Recommended Plan